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Recess: Necessity or Nicety?
An Education World Editorial
By Cara Bafile
The pressure for schools to improve student test scores is so intense that some are abandoning the childhood treasure of "recess" in lieu of more on-task time. Education World asked educators about recess practices at their schools and the importance of free time for kids to be kids. What might their responses tell you about the importance of recess at your school? Included: Tips for a safe and productive recess period.

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No Time for Reading -- A Lesson Learned at Gunpoint!
An Education World Editorial
By Linda Starr
Education World editor Linda Starr reacts to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, which found that 68 percent of U.S. fourth graders fail to achieve minimum grade level proficiency in reading. -- 06/14/2001

Sick Schools Create Dilemma for School Districts
By Diane Weaver Dunne
In the fifth and final part of the special report Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne examines the dilemma sick schools create for school officials. The issues include disclosure, liability, identification, and funding remedies. -- 06/12/2001

Causes and Effects of Sick Schools Vary
By Diane Weaver Dunne
In the fourth part of the special report Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne examines the varied causes and effects of environmental problems in our nation's schools. Research has found links between learning and environmental contaminants. Are school environments resulting in increased numbers of children with learning disabilities and ADHD? Can sick schools affect student concentration? Can school overcrowding exacerbate problems? -- 06/11/2001

Schools + Landfills Might Add Up to Health Problems
By Diane Weaver Dunne
In the third part of the special report Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne examines health concerns raised by residents in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island about schools located on or near hazardous waste sites or landfills. -- 06/08/2001

Environmental Injustice: Poor and Minorities Suffer Most from Sick Schools
By Diane Weaver Dunne
In the second part of the special report Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne examines how poor and minority school populations are exposed to more environmental hazards and therefore suffer a disproportionate amount of adverse health effects. -- 06/07/2001

Environmental Problems Blamed for Making Kids Sick
By Diane Weaver Dunne
In the first part of the special report Sick Schools: A National Problem, Education World news editor Diane Weaver Dunne describes how environmental conditions in school may make students sick, yet no federal laws protect students from exposure to contaminants that pose potential health risks. -- 06/06/2001

Notes from the Education Underground (An Education World e-Interview With John Taylor Gatto)
By Sharon Cromwell
John Taylor Gatto proudly declares himself a saboteur, out to overturn our educational system. In his latest book, The Underground History of American Education, published by Oxford Village Press, Gatto labels the current system "a conspiracy against ourselves" and suggests ways of "breaking out of the trap." Always provocative and challenging, he talked recently with Education World writer Sharon Cromwell about what's wrong with compulsory education, how the Prussian approach to education influenced U.S. education for the worse, and other compelling issues. -- 05/31/2001

Old School Buildings: Prehistoric or Worth Preserving?
By Ryan Francis
A recent report from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) makes a case for renovating old school buildings instead of razing them. Although demolition might be the wisest choice in some instances, the NTHP offers resources for helping school boards decide whether to raze or renovate. Education World writer Ryan Francis recently spoke with members of three communities that have faced that dilemma. -- 05/25/2001

Bush Takes His Education Plan on the Road
By Diane Weaver Dunne
President George W. Bush visited Connecticut this week to tout the priorities set forth in his proposed education budget. Bush answered critics who say his plan doesn't allocate enough funds for education and that his emphasis on national testing is unfair, even racist. Noticeably absent from his speech was any mention of school vouchers. -- 05/17/2001

More Than Reading Scores and Stereotypes: The Voices of City Teachers and Students
By Ellen R. Delisio and Diane Weaver Dunne
Education World recently visited three New York City schools whose students are predominantly poor children who belong to minority groups. Students, administrators, and teachers were eager to share their stories -- anecdotes never included in statistical assessments of their schools. The children offered insights about their lives in and out of school, and the adults talked about their struggle and dedication to help these children overcome challenges. -- 04/17/2001

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June 12, 2001

Senators Propose Bill to Fund Sick Schools Study

For the past week, Education World has taken an in-depth look at one of the hottest issues facing our nation's schools. Our five-part Sick School series details the causes and effects of sick schools, environmental justice issues, concerns about schools located on or near contaminated land, and how sick schools create a dilemma for school officials.

But there might be good news about sick schools on the horizon.

U.S. Senators Robert G. Torricelli (D-N.J.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) are co-sponsoring a bill to study sick schools. The bill has been introduced as an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESA). As part of that bill, a proposed $2 million study directs researchers to investigate how sick and dilapidated school buildings affect the health and learning of children who have attended or are attending the schools. If the study is approved, the National Academy of Sciences will conduct it.

The bill comes six years after the General Accounting Office found that half or more of the nation's schools have at least one environmental problem.

The proposed amendment directs researchers to first identify the physical characteristics of school buildings that contribute to injuries, infectious diseases, chronic health conditions (such as asthma, allergies, elevated levels of lead in the blood), mental health disorders, or cancer. The bill suggests researchers study the following characteristics, which might indicate an unhealthful school environment:

  • contaminated property;
  • poor indoor air quality;
  • mold;
  • ineffective ventilation, heating, or cooling systems;
  • inadequate lighting;
  • drinking water that does not meet health-based standards;
  • infestations of rodents, insects, or other animals that may carry or cause diseases;
  • dust or debris from crumbling structures or construction efforts;
  • inappropriate use of pesticides, insecticides, chemicals, or cleaners;
  • lead-based paint;
  • asbestos;
  • radon.
In addition to identifying the characteristics of sick schools, researchers will also examine how those characteristics impact student achievement, student concentration, student behavior, and other education-related effects.

A key part of the study is for researchers to develop public health and environmental standards for constructing new public elementary and secondary school buildings, the remediation of existing public school buildings, and overall monitoring of public school building health, including cost estimates for the development and implementation of such standards.

Please share your comments by e-mailing me at [email protected].

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